US submarine sinks Iranian warship in Indian Ocean

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1:05This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World's Service. I'm Celia Hatten, and it's 16 hours GMT on Wednesday, the 4th of March. These are our main stories. The United States has sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka. Iran has carried out further attacks on several countries as Israel and the U.S. continue to strike Iranian targets. Funeral ceremonies for Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Hamanay, what we're due to begin today, have been postponed. Also in this podcast, we hear from Iranians who fled across the border to Turkey to escape the war. We're focusing on the U.S.

2:07Israel war with Iran. In this podcast, we'll have the latest on Iranian drone and missile attacks across the Gulf region. They're happening as American and Israeli airstrikes on Iran continue. We'll also be hearing from BBC Persian about the situation on the ground in Tehran. But first, the U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth says a torpedo fired by a U.S. submarine has sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. In fact, yesterday, in the Indian Ocean, and we'll play it on screen there, an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo, quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war, back when we were still the war department, we are fighting to win. BBC Verify has clarified that claim, and it's not the first sinking of an enemy ship by torpedo since World War II.

3:12The British sank in our Gentini ship in 1982, and an Indian frigate was torpedoed by a Pakistan submarine in 1971. However, if confirmed, it is the first time since 1945 that an American submarine has done this. Pete Hagseth did not name the ship during a briefing, but earlier, the Sri Lankan Navy picked up a distress call from the Irish Dana. Lucy Hawking's has been speaking to our South Asia correspondent in Mumbai, Yogatalamaya. I actually spoke to the Sri Lankan Navy's spokesman a short while back, and he at that time had refused to comment. He'd in fact rejected reports that it was a submarine attack on this particular ship and had said that the cause of the sinking was still under investigation. What they had said is that early this morning, the Sri Lankan Navy had received a distress call. It came from roughly just over 40 miles off the coast of Sri Lanka, off the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka near the city of Gaul. When they responded to this particular call,

4:15they say that what the first responders saw was patches of oil floating on the water, as well as some life rafts, after which they started search and rescue operations. They said that at the time 32 people had been rescued, brought to a hospital in the city of Gaul, and when they spoke with those people, that's when they confirmed that they were on board the Iranian ship, Iris Dana. They said that the search and rescue operation is still ongoing. They were hoping to find more survivors. They've seen the documentation of this particular ship and from that documentation, they say 180 people were believed to be on board. Of course, the exact number can only be confirmed by other people who were on board this ship. And what do we know about the location of where this happened? You get a was it in Sri Lankan waters or international waters? So the Sri Lankan Navy spokesman said that it didn't happen in their waters, but it was in their search and rescue nation. And as a maritime nation, they said this is our international obligation. That's why we've launched this search and rescue operation,

5:16and we will continue going on with it. Now, as far as this ship is concerned, there is an earlier post from the Indian Navy, a post from mid-February, which talks about this ship being a part of an international fleet review that was hosted by India between the 15th and 25th of February, dozens of countries were participating in this international fleet review. The US and the UK included. There is a specific post about Iris Dana. We have since contacted the spokesperson of the Indian Navy and so far, there has been no comment from them to confirm whether this was a ship participating in that event. We've also been trying to find out more information about the ship itself. And from Iran's thus-neem news agency from earlier reported articles, this ship is described as a warship that carries on board lots of weapons, including anti-ship missiles and torpedoes as well.

6:16So that is what we know as of now. And do you have anything more than what we've just been getting here in London, you get about the number of people killed or any of the figures? I mean, there's some suggestion now from Sri Lankan media that 80 people have been killed. So, you know, at the time that when I spoke to the Navy spokesman, he said that they have been able to recover some dead bodies. He was refusing to comment on the exact number at that point. We have had a number now from the Secretary of the Defence Ministry, saying that they have recovered about 80 bodies. I suspect that number will change. Of course, at the moment, we don't know how many people exactly were on board that ship as well, although the documentation says 180. Certain rescue operations will continue as far as we are told by Sri Lanka's military. I mean, Sri Lanka's position as far as this war is concerned is that it is in favor of the de-escalation of the war. It is not in favor of the war. It has said that it will pay tribute and pay condolences to all other lives lost in this war, including those lost on the Iranian side as well.

7:19So as far as the war is concerned, it has placed itself at the centre, refusing to kind of side with any particular party. Yoghitalamaya in Mumbai. Let's move on now to hostilities in Lebanon. Israeli forces are stepping up their attacks against the Iranian-backed group, Hezbollah. We're going to hear from both sides of the border. First, John Donnison, who's in northern Israel. We've come up to the small Israeli town of Matula. It's about as far north as you can get. You can see the border wall just a few hundred metres away. And in fact, if you look just in the distance, you can see the ruins of a Lebanese village, which was destroyed in the war between Hezbollah and Israel, what, 18 months ago. Now, Hezbollah, the Shia militia group based in Lebanon, is religiously, financially, and ideologically tied to Iran. And given those ties, it was almost inevitable

8:19that they were going to get involved in this conflict. It started with Hezbollah firing missiles towards Israeli cities. Israel responded with airstrikes on Beirut and in the south. And now they're gone in on the ground to try and push Hezbollah back. We've heard the sound of explosions in the distance. Could have been airstrikes, could have been tank-shelling just as we arrived here this morning. Now, in the past, Hezbollah was able to launch attacks on towns like Matula from just a few hundred meters away. Israel is determined that will not happen again. And in the past, when the war in Gaza started, these villages, in Israel, they had to be evacuated. Some 60,000 people living in the north of Israel had to leave their homes for well over a year. And the Israelis are determined that that will not happen again. That was John Donnison in Northern Israel. Now, to the Lebanese capital, Beirut,

9:20where our correspondent, Wira Davies, has been to the side of one Israeli attack. Well, this is the scene of one of the latest Israeli air strikes. It's a hotel, called the Comfort Hotel, but it was also housing several families. This isn't an attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut. There's areas that are considered to be Hezbollah strongholds. This is an eastern suburb called Hasmier. What has happened here, according to the owner, is that at about four o'clock in the morning, missiles came through the roof, and exploded, as we can see, on about the first and second floors of this hotel. The owner and her family say they were so worried about the prospect of an attack that they were staying elsewhere with relatives when this happened. But a young woman who lives in the hotel, the receptionist, was on the first floor. She is very, very badly injured, according to the owner, and she's been treated at a nearby hospital. In the last hour, we've heard the sound of another air strike in the southern suburbs.

10:23And Israel seems to be expanding its military operations. Remember last night, as well, that four people were reportedly killed in Israeli air strikes, way over in the Becar Valley. So this Israeli military operation, whether it's against Hezbollah, whether it's against other militant organizations, isn't just confined to Beirut and the southern border areas, much more of the country of the capital now seems to be attacked by Israel. We're not sure what the target was here, whether Hezbollah operative had fled from other parts, and they were staying here with their family. But what is clear, according to the owner here, and it's just her opinion, is that she blames Hezbollah as much as she blames Israel for what is happening now. She blames Hezbollah for bringing the war to Lebanon. Hezbollah and Israel in the eyes and views of many Lebanese share equal blame for what is happening now. But one thing is clear, there seems to be no immediate end to this conflict, indeed, the Israeli military operation appears to be expanding.

11:23We're a Davies in Beirut. Iranian missile and drone attacks have been continuing across the Gulf region with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates reporting the use of air defenses. Our correspondent Barbara Platt Asher is in Qatar and give us this update. One of the most recent strikes was on, again, an oil refining facility in Saudi Arabia, which had been hit before. It was a drone attack. So that's one of the more recent significant strikes. There was also a hit on the Al Uday military base here in Qatar overnight. This is the biggest US military base in the region. And the Qataris said two missiles came in. They shot one down, but one of them struck the base on there was no casualties, but we didn't get any more information about that. There was also a strike on the US consulate in Dubai. That was a drone. And it hit the parking lot, it seems, and burst into flames. So there's been a fire there, but again, no casualties. And we have a list given recently

12:25from the various countries in the region about what they've been dealing with today. The United Arab Emirates says it has intercepted three ballistic missiles today so far, and 129 drones, which means that the Iranians are really firing a lot of drones at the United Arab Emirates. The Qataris also said they'd intercepted six drones, and the Kuwaitis said they had intercepted a wave of projectiles in their airspace. So missiles and drones keep coming. Okay, so a whole spread of military activity. Are you seeing a hardening of attitudes against Iran in the region? Well, certainly the Arab countries are very angry and concerned because of the regular onslaught of missiles and drones, of course, from a security point of view, but also because the economic infrastructure has begun to be targeted. It's not just the US military bases, but you have civilian infrastructures, as well as energy infrastructure, the oil refinery, which has now been hit twice in Saudi Arabia. There were also liquid natural gas plants

13:26hit here in Qatar a couple of days ago, production stopping. So they're seeing the impact, not just on security, which is big, but also on the economy. And it's believed that Iran's strategy is exactly that to disrupt the regional economy to so chaos so that the Arab governments begin to put more pressure on the US to stop the air strikes. Still to come in this podcast. If the Iranian state apparatus was to collapse further, then that may well enforce people's hands. We hear from our correspondent close to Turkey's border with Iran. I'm Steve Rosenberg, the BBC's Russia Editor. In our man in Moscow, I'll show you what it's like being a news correspondent in Russia as the Russian authorities wage war on Ukraine and try to silence dissent. The sound of war has reverberated around Ukraine for three years.

14:29Dramatic geopolitical upheaval, alongside threats of intimidation and imprisonment. Our man in Moscow, watch with the subscription to BBC.com and the BBC app. Visit BBC.com slash docs to learn more. Ever wonder why we make the choices we do? And how to make smarter ones? Introducing choiceology, an original podcast from Charles Schwab. Join Wharton Professor Katie Milkman, an award-winning behavioral scientist and author of the best-selling book How to Change, as she shares true stories from Nobel laureates, authors, athletes, and everyday people about why we do the things we do. And how to make better choices to help avoid costly mistakes. Each episode covers the latest research in behavioral science and dives into themes like the power of self-control, shaping your mindset for success, navigating new beginnings, and why starting over can feel so hard. Listen to choiceology at Schwab.com slash podcast,

15:32or wherever you listen. This is not the future we were promised. Like hell that out for a tagline for the show. From the BBC, this is the interface, the show that explores how tech is rewiring your week and your world. This isn't about quarterly earnings or about tech reviews. It's about what technology is actually doing to your work and your politics, your everyday life, and all the bizarre ways people are using the internet. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Global News Podcast. Turning to the situation inside Iran, the Iranian Red Crescent says nearly 800 people have been killed in the offensive so far, although one human rights organization is putting that number in more than 1,000. Let's get some more human stories now. We want to bring you a clearer picture of how Iran's population are coping with the conflict.

16:34These people spoke after crossing into neighboring Turkey. I'm coming from Tehran. And there's a lot of chaos in the city, a lot of missiles and attacks from US and Israel. I'm not into their politics, but I know it's a lot of, it brings just a lot of sadness to people. We hear some things, some provisions outside of the city, but not inside of the city, sleeping in fear and waking up in distress. So, the situation is a little bit awful. I got more from Berang Tajden, from BBC Persian. It's the fifth day of internet blackout, which means getting accurate up-to-date information directly from people is extremely difficult. It's not impossible because some people have access to the internet somehow through stalling or other means. What we are hearing is that, for example,

17:34the capital Tehran, which is a very busy city of over 10 million people, is very, very quiet and almost deserted at night, especially. Most shops are closed, or many shops are closed, markets are closed, and there are just few places that you can get essentials, and people are stuck piling at home, which is a legacy of Iranian-eraq war back in the 1980s. I clearly remember those days and you hear the stories. And yeah, there is a sense of fear amongst many people, because when you hear that a thousand and ninety-seven civilians have been killed, including 181 children in just over four days, this is not a pinpoint operation. You know, there are civilians being killed, and people are rightly scared, because when a police station is attacked,

18:34sometimes it's neighbor to a block of flats, you know, and there's inevitably some civilian casualties as we have seen, and it's been confirmed by human rights activists in the U.S. I mean, we're seeing video images of destruction in Tehran, some of those images available on the BBC News website. What do you make of it when you see those images? I try not to, you know, because we have to report on what's happening, because every time the Israeli military, or the American military attack, a target, they have a reason for that. But again, for example, when you target police stations, yes, those police stations have been used as a way of suppressing protests and, you know, taking people there, but they also, if you also catch a thief, you will need a police station to take them there. So it's a mixed picture.

19:36We understand, Barang, that funeral ceremonies for the Supreme Leader were due to start today, but they've been postponed. Do we know why? They say because of logistics and preparations, because again, if you assume just 10% of the Iranian population completely support the regime, that's 9 million people, and half of them at least would want to attend these ceremonies, and the state, the Islamic Republic, wants everyone to see that so many people are pouring in, completely ignoring the fact that those who don't want to go there. So that's the reason why this has been postponed for now, because it's going to be a huge logistic operation. Barang touched in, and we have more from BBC Persian on our YouTube channel. Search for BBC News on YouTube, and you'll find Global News podcast in the podcast section. There's a new story available every weekday. A few minutes ago, we heard the voices of Iranians

20:37who just left the country and crossed into Turkey, and there are concerns that if the war continues, much larger numbers of people might flee abroad. Correspondent James Waterhouse is in the Turkish city of Vaan. So what's he been seeing there? It's not as simple as those being pro-regime and staying, and those being anti-regime in Iran, and leaving, voicing their support for this extraordinary bombing campaign by Israel and the US. As you can imagine, it's a bit more nuanced. Yes, you have those who did move back to Iran to take part in those demonstrations in the new year, who described in vivid detail seeing how those protests were shut down so brutally by the security services, and how they quietly held hope for this regime to bring some kind of meaningful change. We met others who were returning to Iran but out of concern for their families, and many talk about the fear they're experiencing

21:37with those particular airstrikes. And so I think, at the moment, the border is open. Vaan, where I am in eastern Turkey, is popular among Iranians. There are some societal pressures here in terms of how the Iranians can integrate here, how easy it is to get jobs. And of course, now you have that extra security dimension where you have a aerial bombardment happening across the border but also reports of the US looking to arm Kurdish militia groups as well. So there is a lot going on, and of course you look for whatever symptom you can when it's so hard to get access to Iran itself. You mentioned that the border is open for now, where you are. I mean, are there wider concerns that there might be a large number of Iranians trying to cross out of Iran if the war grinds on? It's not a concern you detect. It seems the sort of Turkish authorities are controlling things for now, and the numbers are manageable. And of course, Iran, like Turkey,

22:38is a big country. So it seems there are several places of refuge for people to go to inside Iran. And of course, Turkey is comparatively more expensive to base yourself in. However, we know that can change. If the Iranian state apparatus was to collapse further, and you have, you know, we're hearing people describe severe limitations on how much food they can buy. There are stockpiling in shops. There are depleted stocks. If that was to continue, then that may well force people's hands. But at the moment, it does seem to be manageable, which lends itself to the broader question as to the efficacy of this bombing campaign. And it seems among the, you know, certainly from the White House, the impression you get is that it is less and less about repression against the Iranian people, and even, you know, a seismic political shift. And seemingly more about, if you look at the latest lines this morning about, you know, depleting missile capabilities,

23:40air defenses, and of course, the nuclear program in Iran. James, what is Turkey's stance on this war? Turkey's stance at the moment is fairly indifferent. It is looking in, I think, within interest, the retention here, as I mentioned, with Kurdish militias on the border. They certainly have been more hostile towards Israel in recent years in terms of the political rhetoric you hear. And so I think if you look at the destabilizing effects, and this is me trying to read between the lines here, President Erdogan, I don't think is particularly enthusiastic about this military operation is going on, simply because of the destabilizing effect is it is clearly having on the broader region. So that kind of governmental messaging has not been as obvious as you might imagine. And, you know, you expect that to change if things were to upscale in any kind of way. James Waterhouse in eastern Turkey. In another development, Turkey said NATO air defenses had destroyed an Iranian ballistic missile,

24:42which was heading towards Turkish air space. The defense ministry in Ankara warned all parties to refrain from taking any steps that could cause the conflict to spread further. Expanding our focus a bit, there's a large Kurdish population that spans across borders from western Iran and into Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, as James just mentioned. A sizable number of those Kurds are hostile to the Iranian regime, and that's something the Americans are well aware of. President Trump spoke to Kurdish leaders in Iraq by phone this week, and today there are reports that he suggested that Kurdish forces launch an insurgency to help topple Tehran's government. GR goal from BBC Persian is following developments from Tel Aviv. What's happening, it seems to me, in the Kurdish region, which historically have a grievances with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and that region have almost 47 years of arm struggle experience

25:43against Islamic revolution regards, and also have witness, numerous, uprising. The one, the latest one was in 2022, when Masajina Amini, the Kurdish woman, was killed in Tehran, and then there was a mass uprising, and then it spread across the country. I think at this point of time, it seems to me, all the elements there, it seems to me, the Kurdish fighters in the mountain are getting ready to go inside the country. In the same time, I think the American and also the Israelis are hoping by bombarding the police station, the Revolutionary Guard, the intelligence service. I think they are hoping to pave the way for the Kurdish people there to rise up, in the same time, the Kurdish fighters who are waiting and armed in the mountain to go down and enter the region. Is that because also there are ties still between Kurdish groups in that region and the Americans? I think so, I think historically, the Kurds have been in the region,

26:44have been in contact with the U.S. Don't forget during the war against ISIS in Syria. That was the Kurds in Syria, who led the ground truth. They were the boots underground, and obviously the air power of the U.S. lit correlation, in fact, resulted in the defeat of ISIS. And I think also in the war in 2003, when the U.S. attacked Iraq, Saddam Hussein, the Kurds had a pivotal role. I think this time around also the Kurds in that region because of their experience, the networks they have inside Iran, the cells, they have inside that region. I think the U.S. and the Israelis definitely see them as a tool or as an asset to use them to topple the regime, or at least by capturing Western Iran, which many, I would say, almost 50% of Iranian missile launcher are based in those Kurdish city across the border because in terms of distance are they all closer to Israel.

27:46And there's some evidence of Iranian drone strikes hitting that region as well. What I'm hearing from inside that region revolution regards have deployed more troops to the border area and having using drones and missiles are actually attacking. U.S. bases, they're also in the past 24 hours. They have intensified their attacks on the bases and the headquarters of Iranian Kurdish oppositions based in Iraqi Kurdistan. BBC Persians GR goal. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at globalpodcastatbbc.co.uk. You can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag globalnewspod. And don't forget our sister podcast, the global story which goes in depth and beyond the headlines on one big story. This edition of the global news podcast was mixed by Nick Randall and the producer was Rebecca Wood.

28:46The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Celia Hatten. Until next time, goodbye.